Conference opens door to C.S. Lewis

The work of C.S. Lewis, an acclaimed Christian writer, speaker and scholar, will be the focus of a conference for academics and admirers Nov. 9-11 in Lawrence.

"On This Side of the Door: C.S. Lewis Speaks into the Tumult of the 21st Century" will feature seminars, speakers, dramatic readings, music and a time for worship.

"The purpose is to give people the opportunity to talk about C.S. Lewis' experience, ideas and stories as they relate to our contemporary issues," said Nancy Yacher, vice president of the Wichita-based C.S. Lewis Society of Kansas. "He's really someone who speaks to our time."

Lewis, an Oxford don and an English professor at Cambridge University, published 33 books in his lifetime. "The Chronicles of Narnia" is perhaps the most famous. He was also a British scholar of medieval and renaissance literature and a famous speaker.

"His work is a combination of literature, theology and social history that is a remarkably inclusive way of speaking to a very broad audience," Yacher said.

Keynote speaker for the conference will be Gladys Fleckles, director of graduate studies at California State University, Fullerton. She will speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Malott Room of the Kansas Union at Kansas University.

The conference schedule includes a special worship time at 9 a.m. Nov. 11 at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, 5700 W. Sixth St.

The cost to attend the conference and meals is $35, or $25 for students. Those who want to attend both the conference and the meals must register by Wednesday. On-site registration is available for the conference.